Supernova: The Last Flash Of The Disappearing Star

Close your eyes and imagine the last moments of a massive star, large as the Solar System. As the mass of its core approaches a fatidic value, the enormous fabric collapses. The star plasma streams like a monstrous wave inward towards the center of the star. In a fraction of a second the core of the star becomes as dense as an atomic nucleus. And then a mighty outward shock wave forms, disrupting the whole structure, the star becoming almost as bright as the whole galaxy. This explosion is ...